Is this correct - if you buy trip insurance thru HAL, it is non-refundable?

[topsailgirl]

I spoke with a HAL rep this evening with a veiw toward booking my first cruise with HAL. She informed me that it would cost me $350 per person to reserve my cabin -- that fee would be fully refundable if I decided to not cruise with HAL so long as I let them know by a certain date before cruise. However, this same person told me that if I wanted trip insurance, I would have to pay for it when I made my reservation and that it was non refundable. ( Even at lowest rate, this is several hundred dollars per cabin.)

So in other words, when I initially reserve, I have to pay for insurance (assuming I want it) and there's no going back. If I decide to not cruise and get a refund of my deposit, tough luck on the hundreds paid for insurance. Can this be true??? (Not that I don't think she knows what she is talking about, but gee whiz, what a racket!)

[wander]

In general, if you want insurance to cover "pre-existing conditions" they it is correct that you need to pay for it at time of deposit (or within 7 or 14 days, depending on the insurance carrier) and it is non-refundable from day of purchase. However, if you are not worried about "pre-existing conditions" then there is are insurance companies that will sell you insurance closer to the cruise. You would need to check with them to see what their requirements are. Soe CC folks may know of a travel insurance provider that will cover pre-existing conditions under more generous conditions.

As to pre-existing conditions, again you have to read the fine print to understand that. If you have no known conditions that might lead to future problems, then you can wait. However, remember that things like high blood pressure in your medical record could be considered a "pre-existing condition" for heart problems. (This is only one example.)

But to answer your question, your TA is playing it straight with you about it not being refundable.

[topsailgirl]

Thanks for you prompt reply. Can anyone speak to good places to go to get trip insurance?

[LindaJ+]

Gosh, our TA collected the insurance premium with the final payment. I assume he knows what he's doing!

[hammybee]

Gosh, our TA collected the insurance premium with the final payment. I assume he knows what he's doing!

This was probably not HAL's coverage.

[vbmom87]

There are many discussions of travel insurance on these boards. I know it has been discussed many times on the Alaska board. You could try doing a search there. Below are some older threads from the Alaska board that might be of help to you.

Preexisting conditions is something I wanted. I just didn't want to take any chances that we would not have our trip covered if we had to cancel because of a pre-existing condition. At the time we were booking, I wasn't aware of any pre-existing conditions in my family but you never know. We went with Travelex Travelite plan. We had to buy the insurance within 21 days of your first trip deposit. So if you book lodging first or plane first, the 21 days are from those deposits.

With some plans you have to buy the insurance within 7-14 days to get pre-existing conditions covered. We went with Travelex for a few reasons. First, it was recommended by many travellers on CC. I also liked that medical was primary. This means that Travelex will pay any medical bills right away. We don't have to submit to our insurance and then resubmit to Travelex what our insurance didn't cover and wait all that time to get reimbursed.

I compared Travelex with what our TA offered. It was the same price to the dollar, but Travelex was primary for medical and the TA's insurance was not primary. Also, I was getting a bit more for medical. Make sure you have adequate coverage for medical evacuation.

I have read that there is a company called CSA that lets you purchase just before your trip and they will cover pre-existing conditions. However, you are paying a higher premium for that insurance. I compared different plans on http://www.insuremytrip.com/ and found it very helpful.

Yes, as far as I know, all insurances are non-refundable if you cancel your trip. However, I have read where people have been able to transfer the insurance to another trip. Before you buy insurance, call or email the company with all of your questions. Make sure you know what you are buying. Assume nothing.


http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=350121&highlight=travel+insurance

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=683676&highlight=travel+insurance

[hammybee]

Thanks for you prompt reply. Can anyone speak to good places to go to get trip insurance?

http://www.insuremytrip.com/index-1000-0-30011-0.html

To make an educated decision, you have to know what risks you want covered and what your own insurance will or not cover, in case of an emergency.

Insurance comes in many flavors. Here are some of them:

Trip Delay/ Interruption
Trip Cancelation due to covered medical reasons
Evacuation
Off shore medical/hospitalization

The primary benefit to HAL's Platinum coverage is that you may cancel your cruise for any reason up to 24 hours, before sail date and get, about 90 % back. I do not think there is another policy, like it. If you cancel your cruise before final payment date, the coverage is transferable to another HAL cruise.

[vbmom87]

Gosh, our TA collected the insurance premium with the final payment. I assume he knows what he's doing!

I found that my TA did not know all that much about insurance. I knew more than she did. Those that collect late, are doing it so you don't lose your money if you cancel your trip. They think they are doing you a favor. However, a well-informed TA would point what the pre-existing condition is. I am sure there have been some upset people who tried filing claims and were not able to recover their losses.

[AAL]

The primary benefit to HAL's Platinum coverage is that you may cancel your cruise for any reason up to 24 hours, before sail date and get, about 90 % back. I do not think there is another policy, like it.

I just purchased trip insurance through insuremytrip and noticed that there are now a few companies that offer "cancel for any reason" coverage (for an extra cost, of course). I didn't compare it to HAL's coverage, because I would likely only cancel for a medical reason, but it's nice to know that there are other choices available.

My coverage through Travelex includes "itinerary change coverage" that someone posted about recently, which would cover cancellation of an independent excursion if the port was cancelled. I probably wouldn't have noticed it before I read that post, so thanks!

I would hate to cancel a cruise, especially if I could not get any refund, so the $190 we paid (total) for trip insurance is worth the peace of mind it buys -- and it's much cheaper than HAL's.

[Northshorecruisers]

We purchase travel insurance through our online TA. He had sent me quite a few plans to choose from. The more inclusive ones needed to be purchased within a certain time frame of booking the trip. Other more general policies (which we choose) could be purchased up to final payment date. It was relatively inexpensive.
I never looked into getting a refund of my trip insurance if I had decided not to take the cruise. I looked at it as other types of insurance....if you don't have an accident with your car during the year - you don't ask for your insurance premium back.

[simplelife]

Thanks for you prompt reply. Can anyone speak to good places to go to get trip insurance?

I go through insuremytrip.com. Multiple companies with varying coverage are availble and they may be compared side-by-side for costs and benefits, and policies can be tailored to you exact needs, I have found I can ALWAYS get better coverage and a better price from them than by taking what the cruise line or TA offers.

Wander is correct that you must pay within a certain time after initial deposit for preexisting conditions and the "Cancel for any reason" benefit offered in some policies. Otherwise, you can usually get trip insurance up to the time of final payment.

And, no, insurance is not refundable. Otherwise, companies could not stay in business - people would take out policies and cancel when problems do not occur. You enjoy full coverage, should any covered probel occur, from the time you take out the policy.

[Jade13]

I spoke with a HAL rep this evening with a veiw toward booking my first cruise with HAL. She informed me that it would cost me $350 per person to reserve my cabin -- that fee would be fully refundable if I decided to not cruise with HAL so long as I let them know by a certain date before cruise. However, this same person told me that if I wanted trip insurance, I would have to pay for it when I made my reservation and that it was non refundable. ( Even at lowest rate, this is several hundred dollars per cabin.)

So in other words, when I initially reserve, I have to pay for insurance (assuming I want it) and there's no going back. If I decide to not cruise and get a refund of my deposit, tough luck on the hundreds paid for insurance. Can this be true??? (Not that I don't think she knows what she is talking about, but gee whiz, what a racket!)

Yes, no trip insurance is refundable. However, if you decide not to take that specific cruise it's best to pick out another one (even a year later) as you can transfer the insurance to another HAL cruise. We usually use HAL's plan as it suits our needs. We have children, pets and are still working. If we decide not to go 24 hours prior to the cruise we get 90% back in cash (to our credit card) for any reason (no questions asked). No other policy has this benefit. There is no pre-existing condition and it cover $50K in medical evacuation. Note that it is secondary insurance and only covers $10K in medical. If medivaced home, most people would have other insurance. It covers air booked through HAL, so an advantage when purchasing air through HAL because you can decide 24 hours in advance you just don't feel liking taking the trip and get 90%back (it's 95% back at 31 days) on the air too.

We had to use this last year when my teenage stepdaughter decided 31 days prior to departure that she just did not want to go with us. My cancelation fee was minimal. Btw, if I had used another cruiselines policy I would have only gotten about 75% in cruise credits, useless because they would only be in the name of the person canceling (ie I could not have used them) plus would have had a one year time period to be used.

No travel insurance is refundable.

[Jade13]

Also note that pre-existing conditions also are for other family members not traveling with you. While you may not have a pre-existing condition (And remember, just because you don't have one doesn't mean it doesn't exist or will not be found in a medical emergency - If there is a $50,00 claim the insurance company will be looking for a reason not to pay) someone in your family may.

Someone may have an elderly parent who is hospitalized days prior to their cruise and if they have a pre-existng condition the insurance policy will not pay out just because you decide you can not travel - if pre-existing was not covered.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I spoke with a HAL rep this evening with a veiw toward booking my first cruise with HAL. She informed me that it would cost me $350 per person to reserve my cabin -- that fee would be fully refundable if I decided to not cruise with HAL so long as I let them know by a certain date before cruise. However, this same person told me that if I wanted trip insurance, I would have to pay for it when I made my reservation and that it was non refundable. ( Even at lowest rate, this is several hundred dollars per cabin.)





So in other words, when I initially reserve, I have to pay for insurance (assuming I want it) and there's no going back. If I decide to not cruise and get a refund of my deposit, tough luck on the hundreds paid for insurance. Can this be true??? (Not that I don't think she knows what she is talking about, but gee whiz, what a racket!)

It is very true!!

In fact a couple of cruise consultants that we have met on board, don't encourage people to buy HAL insurance.

That is just one of the reasons why we buy third party insurance.

[boards]

We buy the travel insurance package with our Master Charge Card and it is the same as the travel insurance we were buying through our TA. It is also cheaper with the same coverage. We also have out of country travel health insurance through our employer. We hope we are well covered if we ever need it.

[sail7seas]

HAL's insurance must be purchased at the time you make your deposit. You cannot buy it even a day later if you change your mind and want HAL's.

[Fblack]

I always buy from CSA. If you buy insurance when you first book the cruise, it is not refundable. CSA will provide coverage for pre-existing conditions after the cruise is first booked. I usually do not get their insurance until about 30 days before the trip. I do not get pre-existing coverage.

[Two if by Sea]

ALL conditions are pre-existing.

You're alive, right now, right? Well, it wouldn't have happened if you weren't.

[silvercruiser]

I was able to transfer the insurance to another cruise. Although it was a cheaper cruise the amount of the insurance stayed the same. Better than losing it, though.
Princess doesn't make you pay for the insurance until the final payment is due. Plus I get a free upgrade from the basic plan to the better insurance once I'd taken five cruises with them. It does make it easier to change your mind. And that probably explains the bargains that pop up after final payment is made.

[vbmom87]

IPrincess doesn't make you pay for the insurance until the final payment is due.

If I had bought the insurance through my TA at time of final payment, that would mean pre-existing conditions would not be covered. I didn't want to take that chance. When you have members of the family who are aging and have various ailments they could die from I did not want a claim denied when I tried to cancel. The insurance company will be looking to see if the condition was pre-existing. To me it is not worth the risk. Too much money involved to lose. I can't afford that.

[Opinions]

[B]ALL conditions are pre-existing.

B]

No, they are not!...I would suggest that everyone read their insurance policy...It is too important a subject to depend just on some of the posts that appear here.

[iamtrustworthy]

Thanks for you prompt reply. Can anyone speak to good places to go to get trip insurance?

HGi topsailgirl,

If you haven't read this article on Cruise Critic, read it since it's got very good information in it:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruiseplanning/articles.cfm?ID=274

[vbmom87]

HGi topsailgirl,

If you haven't read this article on Cruise Critic, read it since it's got very good information in it:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruiseplanning/articles.cfm?ID=274

Thank you for posting this link. It is a definite good read for anyone about to travel.